Poonakary ( ta, பூநகரி, translit=Pūnakari; si, පූනෙරිය, translit=Pūneriya),is a tamil village strategically important

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the northern province of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

situated just below the Jaffna Peninsula. A fort was built in the Poonakary area of northern portion of the island, at first by the Portuguese to protect its possessions in Jaffna. It was later taken and expanded by the Dutch, and in 1770 it was recorded that it was square-shaped with two bastions at opposite corners; the rampart on each of the sides was about 30 metres, it was garrisoned until the late 18th century. The British built a rest house in 1805. Since 1983, due to the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, it was garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army from 1983 until the Sri Lankan military withdrew from the Poonakary area in 1991. See also e.g. Battle_of_Pooneryn. The fort was recaptured from LTTE (liberation tigers of tamil eelam) in 2009. Ruins of the fort remains, though in bad condition. Poonakari website

References

{{NorthernLK-geo-stub Towns in Kilinochchi District Poonakary DS Division